Scott Snyder has done all of those things in the last year. What a way to make waves.

And now, he’s unsettling comic fans the world over with the word he’s putting into the Joker’s mouth and the thoughts he’s putting into the Joker’s twisted mind.

A twisted face to match his mind…

Joker kdinapped Alfred Pennyworth and blinded him with acid. He’s been promising that the entire Bat-family will die, and that Batman himself will do it. He told the whole Bat-family he knows their identities. And now, he’s revealing secrets about Batman that could change all of Bat-history as we know it!

And it all involves Joker’s card…

Joker’s Card

I’m trying to keep spoilers to a minimum on this one. There’s some stuff in there that you really just need to read and take in in the order that Snyder and Capullo laid it down. But Joker’s card plays a gigantic part in this issue. Also, Joker’s year-long hiatus is finally explained in this issue. We finally find out what the maniac has been up to, and I’ll be the first to tell you: it’s big, and it’s dark.

But, that’s what Batman has become under Snyder’s direction. Batman is bigger and darker than almost ever before, and Greg Capullo’s artwork is the best possible match to the writing. The art turns dark words into darker images, and the fact that neither the art nor the writing overshadows the other helps in this seamless, almost perfect marriage.

Capullo’s art is simply stunning

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the month wait between issues of Batman is one of the longest waits I know of. I always end up counting the days until I can pore over the pages, gasping with shock and delight at every turn. It’s a long wait indeed, but in the end, it’s absolutely worth it. Batman is one of the few titles that I don’t think I’d ever be able to give up, and I have a feeling that, with the rate at which Batman books are selling, I’m not alone.

Just TWO more issues in the “Death of the Family” storyline. Who will die? Who will survive? Only time will tell.